10 Tricks for Twitter Newbies

Looking back on how I got started with Twitter, and then digging back into how to get started via these tutorials I’ve been doing, I have come to realize there are a few pieces of advice I would give without question to any new Twitterers. These are things that don’t seem to get a whole lot of attention, but I believe they are quite integral to getting started on the right foot. I wish I had known this when I was getting started! So, here you go. Ten Tricks for Twitter Newbies!

1. Do not depend on the people Twitter recommends for you: When I got started on Twitter, I clicked on the “business” category and went down the list, clicking “follow follow follow.” I thought, “OK, so if Fast Company *and* the Wall Street Journal retweet me in one day, I’ll be on my way. This is I think a common approach, but the recommendations Twitter makes are based on sheer numbers. It is difficult to get attention from those accounts because they are already being followed by thousands of people. This can make your journey seem discouraging.

2. Learn how to search for and participate in chats: I can’t emphasize enough how important I think chats are for getting plugged in with people of a like mind. When you hear about a chat, all you have to do is search for it in the search bar (#xyzchat). Participate, don’t just lurk. Even if you find just one comment to respond to at first, you’ll be getting to know people who have similar interests.

3. Do not worry about numbers: I know this is really hard. I’ve detailed many times how I used to watch my followers number like a hawk watches a family of mice. When you begin, numbers really don’t matter. You are looking for quality people to talk to and network with. When you are on your way, numbers matter even less 🙂

4. Do not worry about the silent treatment: It’s not you. People could easily see hundreds of tweets in just a couple of minutes. If they don’t know who you are, they will probably not respond at first. This is why chats are really important – people are in a conversation and you can jump on in. Find someone you can chat with, and eventually people will start responding. However, a little secret – most people don’t get responses to most of the tweets they do.

5. Have an avatar picture: People will feel more compelled to talk to you if they can see your face!

6. Fill out your bio: Fill your bio with a combination of important keywords and a touch of personality. Let people know that you’re not a bot…you’re a real person whom they should get to know.

7. Learn how to link: Linking is really important. You need to be able to do this for linking people to your blog, to a funny video, or to other posts you like. I cover this in my Twitter basics tutorial, btw…or ask me for help 🙂

8. Add comments to your retweets: It’s easy to just hit the retweet button and think you’re being engaging, but to really start showing your personality, add a one or two-word intro to your retweets, even if it’s just, “Great post.”

9. Promote others: Do this carefully and authentically. If you see a tweet or a post you really like, let someone know. If someone is newer than you and they just hit a milestone, lift them up. Participate in Follow Friday (#FF) but do it with thought. Instead of just listing lots of big names to try to get attention, list 1 person you genuinely enjoy following. Maybe it’s someone you met at your first chat or someone who wrote a post you really enjoyed.

10. Ask questions: Using Twitter is like driving a car. After awhile, you just start doing things and you don’t really think about it. It’s easy to forget how much there is to learn, and people will take it for granted that you just know how to do everything. Ask questions. You may not get a response at first, but that’s okay. When I was first getting started, new people like me would often say, “Yeah, I want to know that too!” You can meet people who have the same question as much as people who have the answer (and never be afraid to direct questions to me @margieclayman)

If you are new to Twitter, I hope you find these tricks useful. If you’re not so new, what would your ten tricks be for getting started?

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Comments

Marjorie–Thank you for providing these Twitter insights to help navigate the waters. For many Twitter is like a foreign language, you’ve provided a useful translation tool. Happy marketing, Heidi Cohen

Great list Marjorie. The avatar thing is quite worrying, convention is your proper name and a photo, preferably of you smiling or at least looking approachable. Those of us with 20+ years of British dentistry behind them may choose something else, say a picture of a 70s cartoon idol.

I have seen plenty of people say it’s weird, not the done thing, you need a proper photo etc but those same people have said it’s acceptable for me. Either they’re humouring me or going against the grain can work for you. Someone told me I was internets famous for my avatar in Sunday’s #blogchat.

My conclusion is that it’s better to be yourself than what other people want you to be. And if you so happen to be dog named Penry with a penchant for karate outfits, so be it!

Also #11 learn to edit retweets. Lots of people don’t follow the 120 rule (leaving enough characters to add a comment/be able to RT) so if you see a good tweet but there’s no character space, edit it a little, thank the original poster and explain what you had to do.

#10 is important. If you want to stand out on Twitter, bloody get involved! A huge majority of people are passive, anything from 90-95% so if you tweet regularly and get involved, you’re going to stand out.

Thanks for your great comment, Nic. I’m sure your avatar would not be half as bad as you’re making it out to be, but you are right in that everyone has to live within his or her comfort level. You do a good job of getting your persona out there, and your avatar, while not human, is certainly recognizable 🙂

Number 10 is like the person who is afraid of the water finally just jumping in. At some point, to get enjoyment out of Twitter, you have to jump in and see how it feels. And then you have to stay in when you feel like you’re sinking. That’s the really tricky part 🙂

I don’t quite understand this “real name” and “real picture”.
Must be an american thing relating to first amendment.
In most countries, even so-called democratic ones, your opinion can put you into troubles.
There’s no way I’ll help govs to know what I think about what.
And I don’t mind talking to pseudonyms with funny pictures, as long as I’m interested in what they say but it’s true that a lot of people do actually mind.

I’d also add :
-it’s preferable if you have a website or a blog, or any url in your bio. People love to think they’re talking to someone who knows the web and it helps them to learn a bit more about you
-get involved in people’s blog and possibly make your own.

The face and bio thing come into play particularly if you are trying to use Twitter to build your business. However, privacy is definitely a big concern – not just in terms of the government but in terms of people maybe seeing things about you that rub them the wrong way. For business that can have dastardly effects.

If you do show your face and include a brief bio, you need to be extremely careful about how you present yourself. And truth be told, even if you don’t use your real name, your IP address and things like that can lead people right to you. Such is the downside of the online world 🙂

I agree that a blog is an excellent supplement to Twitter. I started blogging when I first started on Twitter for just that reason.

I do need to get comfortable using a client. I signed up for Hootsuite but I don’t know – it just seems very intimidating for me, probably because I’ve been on the web version from the start. I’m not used to having all of those columns! But for most people who aren’t technophobes, Hootsuite and TweetDeck in particular seem to work wonders, and based on the recommendations of you and others, I definitely say go for it!

You are truly the Beacon for Newbies on Twitter! Your advice is both sound and practical; Twitter should adopt this as their must read tutorial for all joining Twitter.

I agree with Ian on the importance of using a client to manage Twitter. When I started Twitter this past summer, I was intimidated by the speed of the chats I was trying to join in. I simply couldn’t read fast enough to respond. By using HootSuite, I set up the chat in one column and set it on manual advance/refresh. This way I can control the speed the chat flashes by, so I can read the individual tweets and respond before letting the new ones show.

I have always taken the approach of just picking a comment in a chat and responding to it – kind of creating my own little sub-chat. But I know that it’s important to a lot of people (most people) to try to catch as much of the stream as possible and really participate in the core issues, so your advice is 100% well-founded.